ARIA announces 2018 End Of Year Charts

Amy Shark delivers the biggest Australian album of 2018 with ‘Love Monster’ landing at No. 14

Sydney band 5 Seconds Of Summer (5SOS) cemented their status as global superstars in 2018. Their anthemic single ‘Youngblood’ claimed the No. 1 position on the 2018 ARIA End Of Year Singles Chart with a 7 x Platinum certification. ‘Youngblood’ spent eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 through the year, in a tie for the second most weeks at number one by an Australian act in ARIA Singles Chart history. ‘Youngblood’ scored Apple Music Song Of The Year at the 2018 ARIA Awards, where the band was named Best Group alongside Best Australian Live Act. They are the first local artist to top the End Of Year Charts since Anthony Callea with ‘The Prayer’ in 2005.

In learning of their incredible achievement 5SOS said, “We’ve always said to be recognised in our home country is more special than anything. To have the number one song of 2018 is a very proud moment for this band. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and thank you Australia!”

Joining 5 Seconds of Summer at the top of the 2018 ARIA End Of Year Charts is the Soundtrack to feel good movie, ‘The Greatest Showman’. The album, which spent all year in the top 50 with forty-nine of those weeks in the top ten, has chalked up sales in excess of 3 x Platinum. It is the first Soundtrack to top the end of year charts since ‘Moulin Rouge’ in 2001.

Australian artists Dean Lewis and Amy Shark also enjoyed a stellar 2018, Lewis’s single ‘Be Alright’ joining 5SOS in the year-end singles chart top 5 with a No. 4 result and Amy Shark finishing with the biggest local album of 2018, former No. 1 ‘Love Monster’, at No. 14. Shark scored the prestigious Apple Music Album Of The Year Award for ‘Love Monster’, as well as Best Female Artist and Best Pop Release at the 2018 ARIA Awards. Joining Amy Shark in the top 20 end of year albums tally are fellow Australian artists Vance Joy with ‘Nation Of Two’ at No. 18 and Keith Urban at No. 19 with ‘Graffiti U’.

Amy Shark also expressed her excitement with her result, saying today “I put my heart and soul into this album, I’m so grateful to everyone who purchased Love Monster last year and made it the highest selling Australian artist album. This means so much to me.”

Post Malone asserted a massive influence on both the singles and albums result, with an impressive seven singles in the Top 100, including two in the top 10 – ‘I Fall Apart’ at No. 6 and ‘Psycho’ at No. 7 – and the album ‘Beerbongs & Bentleys’ at No. 4.

On the albums front, Ed Sheeran and Queen each delivered two albums in the top 10, Sheeran’s ‘÷’ finishing at No. 2 overall – and for the second time, Sheeran has followed a year-end No. 1 with a No. 2 position for the same album the following year (achieved with ‘X’ in 2014 and 2015). Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody (The Original Soundtrack)’ lands at No. 5 whilst the multi-platinum ‘Greatest Hits’ collection winds up 2018 at No. 8. At No. 6, ‘Kamikaze’ gives Eminem his first end of year top 10 since 2013’s ‘Marshall Mathers LP2’.

Ed Sheeran, Post Malone and Drake are the only artists to appear in the top 10 of both the 2018 End Of Year Singles and Albums Charts.

ARIA Chief Executive Dan Rosen commented, “2018 was an exceptional year for Australian music as we saw an array of new and established local talent reach the top of the ARIA Charts. It is incredibly exciting to see our 2018 ARIA Song Of The Year winners 5 Seconds Of Summer have the #1 single for the year! This is a massive achievement given that it is the first time an Australian act has topped the End Of Year ARIA Singles Chart in thirteen years!

“I would also like to congratulate Amy Shark who had the highest selling Australian artist album of the year with 2018 ARIA Album Of The Year ‘Love Monster’ and all the other Australian artists that featured on the 2018 ARIA End of Year Charts.

After such a monumental year, I can’t help but look forward to what 2019 has in store for us.”

Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody (The Original Soundtrack)’ ensures three Soundtracks in the top 10 for the second consecutive year. Last year it was ‘Moana’ (5), ‘Trolls’ (6) and ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy 2’ (9).

Queen has not had a year-end top 10 album this century and have now scored two!

Only 3 acts have 3 albums in the top 100 – Ed Sheeran, Queen and Eminem.